24 Hours and Counting!

So, last night, I let my 11 year old fall asleep with me because she is very nervous about going to two weeks of sleep away camp today.  She ended up staying the whole night.  This was nice because as a prepubescent, this is the almost the only time she will cuddle with me.  She is better this morning, which is great, because now I'm nervous for both of us.

We leave in two hours to take her and then at 7:30 tomorrow morning, I leave for my own adventure.  I'm so fortunate that I have a great husband and great friends who are helping out, especially with my son who tends to worry about lots of things including my dying.  He will be cuddling tonight.

I'm worried about a few things:

1. Dying.  That would be the first thing. I find the whole surgery/operation room really cool.  It's sudden aneurysm/heart attack/stroke/undiagnosed thingy that I worry about.

2. My kids.  I know that they are in good care but, my anxiety about their anxiety is hard.  Again, my son is happy to be hanging out with his best buds this week and I know he is well cared for.  I just worry about his little sensitive self.

3. Catheters and removal there of.  Enough said.

4. Not having shaved in the last few days.  You see, you are not allowed to shave within 48 hours of surgery.  I missed the window yesterday and will now go into surgery with not only hairy legs and armpits but, a five o'clock shadow.  Maybe more like a 2 PM shadow.  Hard to tell at this point.  

5. I will no doubt be hungry at about 6AM with only toothpaste to sooth my rumbling belly.  I hope there are yummy apple juice cups and Lorna Dune cookies!  Maybe instant coffee!

6. I am concerned that the Kardashian clan will so something of note and I will miss it.

7. I feel I will be disappointed if my uterus does not weigh 30 lbs and that my non-existent thigh gap will continue to be non-existent.  I just hoped that while down there, maybe they would tack on a free cosmetic procedure:  "Free liposuction with your fifth gynecological surgery!"

8. I will not be on Facebook for 12 hours and I will miss all the political drama.  Actually, that is a good thing!

Off I go!  I will keep you posted!  Log in again to follow this story and please share if you think others can relate!

Thanks!

PS. What if I forget to DVR Good Morning America so I can see the interview with 17 year old Malala in Nigeria?  I need that for home schooling in September!  

Getting My Hyster Ectomied

So when I started up this blog, I called it "A Woman's Pause" for two reasons.  I wanted to pause and look at all the experiences I have had in life and how they have shaped me as a woman, wife, and mother.  The other reason was that I believed I was going through "the change, " the cute little name for peri-menopause.  I was a bit off with the later.

This might get a bit detailed, so if you are a guy reading this, please skip down a bit.  If you are a guy, you may not want to read this at all.  I digress...

A bit over a year ago, I was starting, stopping, starting, stopping, and then going on and on for about a month.  Silly uterus!  It's just changing!  I stopped for three weeks.  Then "Aunt Flo, " my "Friend, " (more adorable, cute names), decided to move in permanently and cause anemia in addition to a lot of concern an worry.

The thing is, I've always had some issues.  And I'm a Mom of two young kids who have been home schooled for three years.  We do lots of things and I was dead last on the priority list.  I know that is familiar to lots of you.  Also, after being poked, prodded, operated on, and being put on hormones for many years as well as a short-lived pregnancy, I had had enough of doctors.  So I neglected my health, which was always supposed to be fairly closely monitored.  

I took three years off and was then in a panic.  I went to see the OB/GYN.  She is both thorough and conservative which I like.  I had to have a endometrial biopsy.  Painful to say the least.  And negative, thank goodness.  As I winced leaving the office, my nine year old son asked why I was uncomfortable.  I said that there is part of the body called the cervix and the doctor pinches off a piece to look at under a microscope.  But don't worry, it grows back.  "Like a sea star?" my sweet boy says.  "Yes, exactly. " I say.  Best laugh of the day.  I kind of pictured myself with a leg growing out of my "hoo-ha"( Oh, for heaven's sake, it's a VAGINA!).

Anyway, I got my blood tested immediately and had a mammogram.  Everything was fine.  But, this was not perimenopause.  My hormones are fine.  My uterus does not know what it's doing, essentially.  It's like it goes in a full cycle, without stopping, every four days or so.  It has been doing this for three months.  I so should have invested in Always Pads!  The good part is, that unless necessary, I get to keep my ovaries.  This prevents me from going into hormonal menopause.

I am both looking forward to this ending and also feel somewhat sad.  I think that for most woman who have this surgery, they have had their children.  I have been pregnant once and briefly, after I dealt with infertility and two adoptions.  My uterus has never served me well.  It has been a problem for almost thirty-five years.  Pain, mess, mood swings, frustration, disappointment.  But it also failed me in doing the one thing that it should have been able to do-carry a pregnancy.  

Don't get me wrong.  Adoption was the best thing we could have done.  But is is hard and somewhat sad.  This is the end of a very long and complicated story.  Normally, a woman of my age (47.5), would not be looking to get pregnant anyway. In many cases, they already have a family.  But it is the definitive end. No way.  No accidents. No change of life babies. No vessel to accomplish this.

But, although I think there will be a bit of a grieving process, I am ready to just feel better in general.  Anemia has been difficult.  I'm a bit tired at times because of it.  And bonus!  I get a urethra lift in the process!  Yippee!  That comes with it's own benefits!

So I will continue this story in the next couple of days!  Please stayed tuned!

Once Again, It's Been Awhile!

I know, I know!  I'm possibly the worst blogger ever!  So what has been happening this past year?  Well, lets see...

My 9 year old who NEVER gets sick, had two bouts of strep and ended up in the ER.  Twice.

My 83 year old Dad, falls down and breaks five ribs and ends up in the ER.

My 9 year old who ALMOST NEVER gets sick, has his first ear infection in about six years.  On a Sunday because that is the best time of the week to get sick.  No ER this time. Weekend pediatrics offices are great though.

My 77 year old Mom has heart palpitations and I helpfully diagnose it as a panic attack.  It was atrial fibrillation.  This is why I did not go to medical school.  She goes to the ER.  For 15 hours.  Luckily she finally gets a room. The second she can, she drives and is never heard from again.  Just joking. She came back eventually.

My 11 year old is diagnosed with OCD.  We are now helping her learn how to cope and telling her she can no longer take three hours to do her finger nails.  She is limited to only five tries to try to achieve the perfect pony tail.  We are trying to minimize the all out panic attacks she sometimes has because of it.

She leaves for two weeks of sleep-away camp tomorrow and is very nervous about how she will deal with this away from home.  So am I.

Oh, and I'm having a hysterectomy.  "Hyster" from the Latin for womb, "Ectomy" meaning take it out  and offer good pain killers afterward. 

 Also, no vacuuming or strenuous activity for several weeks.  Who am I kidding?  That's pretty much status quo.

By the way this is not the last year of my life.  This is just about the last three months with most of it hitting the big time about three weeks ago.  I realize I am both strong and simultaneously a nervous wreck.  I'm very worn out at this point and am looking forward to general anasthesia.

Please join me on my fabulous surgery journey! I promise it won't be a year this time!